In general, as recording apparatuses that can flexibly meet with the demands of a small quantity and wide variety, there are known inkjet type recording apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as “inkjet recording apparatus”) in prior arts. An inkjet recording apparatus records an image on a recording medium by jetting ink from nozzles provided at the surface, of a recording head, facing the recording medium so that the ink lands on the recording medium, and fixing the ink on it. An inkjet printing apparatus is characterized in that it easily and quickly meets the demand of small quantity because no plate making process is required, making a difference from a gravure printing type and flexo printing type. Further, an inkjet printing apparatus is advantageous in that it makes little noise and can easily perform color image recording, using inks in many colors.
Further, in recent years, as an inkjet recording apparatus applicable to various recording media, there is known an inkjet recording apparatus that uses photo curable ink containing a photo initiator having a predetermined sensitivity to light, such as UV-ray, and irradiates light on ink having landed on a recording medium so as to cure and fix the ink on the recording medium (for example, see Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication TOKKAI No. 2001-310454). With an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by the use of ink curable by irradiation of active energy ray, such as the above-described inkjet recording apparatus that uses photo-curable ink, ink is instantly cured by irradiation of active energy ray, and accordingly, little ink penetrates into a recording medium or blurs, which makes it possible to perform image recording even on recording media, such as films including resin without an ink receiving layer nor ink absorbency, metals, etc., as well as plain paper.
However, even when such an inkjet recording apparatus is used to perform recording, ink tends to penetrate into a recording medium that has high ink absorbency.
In this situation, there is offered an inkjet recording apparatus that changes the light irradiation amount, depending on the ink penetration amount into a recording medium in order to prevent penetration of ink into the recording medium (see Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3549159). With this inkjet recording apparatus, the light irradiation amount is increased for a recording medium with a large ink penetration amount so as to prevent penetration of ink into the recording medium.
On the other hand, as inkjet recording apparatuses of an active energy ray irradiation type, there are offered an apparatus that adjusts the temperature of a recording medium, depending on the external environment (see Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Publication TOKKAI No. 2004-91151) and an apparatus that adjusts the irradiation amount or the irradiation timing of the energy ray, depending on a recording medium (see Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Publication TOKKAI No. 2004-188659).
Regarding Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4, the temperature of a recording medium, the irradiation amount or the irradiation timing of an active energy ray is adjusted, depending on external environment or the recording medium. However, the penetration amount of ink into the recording medium is not taken into account, and the effect on prevention of penetration of ink into a recording medium is insufficient.
On the other hand, regarding Patent Document 2, the ink penetration amount is taken into account, and the ink penetration amount into a recoding medium is adjusted by adjusting the light irradiation amount. However, if the light irradiation amount is increased, the quality of a recording image finally obtained may be degraded, depending on the recording medium. For example, glossiness may be lost, or an image may become coarse.
In the present invention, problems, as described above, are taken into account, and while penetration of ink into a recording medium is prevented, degradation of the quality of a recorded image is prevented. An object of the invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that achieves precise image recording in such a manner.